The Delmarva-DC Region for the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) continues to take proactive steps in our efforts toward renouncing racism as sin. The past year has brought the blight of racism in our country to the forefront. Racially motivated violence and hatred persists. Largely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, racism and xenophobia are on the rise and have placed many minority communities at risk. Most recently, the Asian community and their families have been the victims of acts of violence.

As members of the Body of Christ, which globally includes a multi-cultural community of believers, we stand firm and unequivocally against the recent violence towards the Asian community and express our deepest sympathy for their loss and pain. We stand in solidarity with all of our Asian brothers and sisters in the Delmarva-DC Region and around the world.

As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we are committed to represent Him in our daily walk. Scripture tells us that light overcomes darkness (John 1:5). When we walk in the light of Jesus Christ, love will follow and hatred will flee. As the Body of Christ, we are examples of how love is displayed and how hatred is dispelled. Hatred has no place in the church or in our world. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Let no man pull you so low as to hate.”

We urge everyone to support our Asian brothers and sisters and to pray fervently for their protection. We commit ourselves to lend our support and compassion to ensure that all people, regardless of race or culture, receive the same level of dignity and respect as anyone else.

We further reaffirm our commitment to the “Resolution Against Discrimination of Cultural and Ethnic Groups” where we have established our biblical position toward racism. You can read the full resolution and access many resources

compiled by our Delmarva-DC Intercultural Advisory Committee here: http://www.cogdelmarvadc.com/intercultural-ministries.